It’s quite rare to get to play someone you want to be a bit more like

You’re taking on the role of Betsey Day, the house band singer, in ITV drama The Halcyon. How would you describe her? SHE’S before her time. I call her ‘the alley cat’ of the piece, in that she’s a runaway, she loves music and she sings, but she’s not naturally sexy.

I don’t think, anyway. Although she enjoys playing sexy when it suits her.

Weirdly I thought of my dad’s aunt – great aunt – who was a bit of a tomboy and who always had this infectious cackle of a laugh that I found really amusing; and a couple of weeks ago, my dad found out that she sang as well and we saw a photo and her hair looked just the same as mine in this.

It was nice to have someone to relate it to in a family context. IT’S one of those parts you can’t help but have fun with; it’s quite rare to get to be someone you’d like to be a little bit more like.

I think it’s the confidence and the fact she doesn’t care. Usually it’s those people I always admire because maybe I care a bit too much and it’s a nice way to go about your life – just to get on and be who you are. Were you pleased to be singing on-screen again after showcasing your vocals in ITV’s The Sound of Music Live last Christmas? OH MY goodness, I love singing!

I have always had singing lessons on and off for my own joy. It’s been a closet thing, a dream, but every time I wanted to push that button, I wimped out.

Then The Sound Of Music Live came up last year and initially I just thought it was a bit of a joke.

I love the film so much, but I equally thought, ‘Why the heck are they doing this? This is such a stupid idea’.

(But then) I realised it was going to be done on a set and we would run from set to set and it suddenly sounded really fun and I had to get over myself.

It was just a celebration of a piece of writing that everyone loves. point of view, me seeing my microphone and then having the place full. Most of my scenes are in the (hotel) bar where it’s very atmospheric and there’s usually lots of dancing going on, so I just get to watch it from the best viewing point. Some people don’t like to, but I like to watch things back because it helps me; I can see what a director means and I can understand what they’re talking about. And I remember watching it and thinking it just Kara, far left, with Jeremy Pven and her sister Hannah Tointon in ITV drama Mr Selfridge, left, and as Dawn in BBC soap EastEnders, right had this gritty feeling about it; it wasn’t too pretty, even though it looked beautiful.

Sometimes dramas, after a while, can all look the same, so (it’s about) what they try and do to make it look a bit different. I THINK it’s just a compliment for people to say it could be the ‘new Downton’. There are so many shows they’ve said that about and they’re all good in their own way, so I don’t really know what that means.

And also there’s just so many good shows (on today); we live in such an odd world of drama where people can watch a series in a day and not live at all. But yeah (The Halcyon) has got the Upstairs, Downstairs feel; it’s like Downton on speed! Is that a bad thing?! FROM a selfish point of view, I enjoy this character so much that yes, I would love to see it.

You can never be too sure of how long you’re going to last in the war though, so I can’t get my feet up on the table too comfortably!

I’ve heard so many actors say in the past that they have been part of things that they thought were going to be fantastic and haven’t gone anywhere, so you can never really be sure. You just have to leave it in the hands of fate and hope people take to it. I love the characters and you’ve got this trickling down effect of the owners of the hotel and the twin boys – and because it’s set in a hotel, it just feels that any storyline is possible. Nothing is too forced, so it just feels like they could go anywhere with it. I CAN’T help but look – I try not to, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t.

I try not to get too bothered by it, just because I think, ‘Can I ever imagine going on something and writing something negative about someone? No’, and therefore, ‘Oh well’. I just try and let things go and you can’t please everyone.

Everyone has an opinion on things and there’s no right and wrong, so you can only do your best and try and leave it at that.

But sometimes you think ‘Oh damn’, and then you get over it.